I decided to vet this matter personally. I met with Members of the House and Senate, Pentagon officials, and even Major Coughlin himself. Major Coughlin told me that he has had a great working relationship with the Joint Staff and that he did not believe there was any conspiracy to remove him from his position. In fact, he was already planning to leave the Joint Staff at the end of his contract. Lest the rumors persist, Major Coughlin will be associated with another office program within the Office of the Secretary of Defense where he will continue to spread his message.

Coughlin, of course, is the Islamic law expert who had apparently been fired at the insistence of Hesham Islam, an assistant to Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England.”